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| 1949 Nash advertisement. Image from Myn Transport Blog which has afine article about Nash automobiles. |
"This is it! This is Nash!"
The 1949 Nash was the company's first postwar model, and was completely redesigned from previous edition. It's curvy uni-body construction led to it's nickname of "bathtub." Based on the serial number, Wallace B. Dixon's 1949 Nash was a "600" model, built in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which had the same basic body with a shorter front end than the more expensive "Ambassador" model. The average base price of the Nash 600 models was $1,877. The literature claims that the Nash '600' got over 25 miles per gallon at average highway speed. (1)I have actual photos of my grandfather's own Nash parked in front of my grandparent's house at 1023 Thompson Ave. in Roselle. They moved into that house in 1952, so the Nash was still fairly new, and would continue to be a feature in that driveway for six more years after these photos were taken in 1953.
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| The green Nash 4-Door Sedan, parked in front of the Dixon home in 1953. |
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| The Nash, smiling from it's driveway in front of the Dixon home. 1953. |
Wally must have bought the Nash when it was brand spankin' new. I can see why he kept it for so long. Seriously, look at this beauty. And windshield wipers come standard! I wonder if he paid for the add-on turn signals. (1)
Standard equipment included:
- cloth and vinyl interior trim
- reclining front seats
- rubber floor covering with front carpeted inserts
- front door armrests
- wind-up clock
- dual sun visors
- dual windshield wipers
- stainless steel trim, molding and window surrounds
- small hubcaps
- electric clock
- turn signals
- full wheel covers
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| A 1949 Nash '600' Four-Door Sedan. Oh, the grille of it all! Image from barrett-jackson.com |
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| A 1949 Nash '600' Four-Door Sedan. Behold it's bath-tubby glory! Image from barrett-jackson.com |
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| A 1949 Nash '600' Four-Door Sedan. The round thing on top of the steering wheel is the "Uniscope" - all your gauges in a single "pod." How spiffy is that? Image from barrett-jackson.com |
License and Registration, Please
That amazing car had two homes, 214 Inslee Place in Elizabeth, and 1023 Thompson Avenue in Roselle. I'm sorry I don't have a registration to prove that, but the photos at the top of the page tell that story.The Inslee Place address is right on "down the Port" and is a neighborhood that I remember from my childhood - going to pick up my grandmother from work at Singers, and Sunday Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul church.
The house on Thompson Avenue was the first home that my grandparents owned, and it is, essentially, the place where I spent my childhood after school, on weekends, and during the summer. My mother and I lived just across the street.The Nash was gone before I was born, and I'm grateful that I have some photos of it!
Sources
Photographs of the Dixon home, Wallace B. Dixon Collection; privately held by Elizabeth Ackermann, [address for private use], 2016. Inherited by his daughter, Mary E. Dixon Traina, and then by her daughter, E. Ackermann.
New Jersey driver's licenses, auto registrations, Wallace B. Dixon Collection; privately held by Elizabeth Ackermann, [address for private use], 2016. Inherited by his daughter, Mary E. Dixon Traina, and then by her daughter, E. Ackermann.
(1) American Cars, 1946-1959: Every Model, Year by Year. J. Kelly Flory, Jr. McFarland. Viewed on Google Books; 21 November 2016. Pages 229-232.
1949 Nash Super 600. SMClassiccars.com : Classic Cars for Sale. http://smclassiccars.com/nash/46468-1949-nash-super-600.html ; accessed 21 November 2016.
"Nash Motors." Myn Transport Blog. http://myntransportblog.com ; accessed 21 November 2016.
Images of driver's licenses and car registrations, as well as those of the Dixon home and vehicle are from my private collection. Happy to share, just ask.
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